Page 58 - 1RHA 2022

1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery
As we look forward towards 2023 and beyond, there appears to be little respite. December will see the Regiment handover its UKSB commitment, bringing to a close approximately 105 days of high readiness, which, at the time of writing, has not yet seen members of the Regi- ment deploy.
In June, at the Royal United Services Institute’s annual Land Warfare Conference, the newly appointed Chief of the Gen- eral Staff, General Sir Patrick Sanders, outlined the Army’s new primary focus: Op MOBILISE. While the detailed ele- ments of Op MOBILISE are still emerging, the programme is aimed at deterring Russian aggression through a renewed focus on improving readiness, accelerating the army’s mod- ernisation agenda, increasing combined arms proficiency, and reviewing army structures. It is not yet clear how the plans will impact 1 RHA specifically, however the imperative to excel in our core business of combined arms warfighting is not lost on the Regiment. It is fortunate therefore that our forecast of events for the next year provides ample opportu- nities for us to train.
Initially, after an eight month delay, the Regimental Tac Group will deploy to Japan, on the long awaited Exercise VIGILANT ISLES. The exercise will feature dismounted long-range patrolling in the Japanese mountains, alongside the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force, reinforcing the UK’s partnership with Japan.
Concurrently, in November E Battery will begin their Pre- Deployment Training for Operation CABRIT in Estonia, sup- porting The Queen’s Royal Hussars who will be taking on the mantle of the Enhanced Forward Presence Battlegroup. Through a series of simulated exercises, the pre-deployment training will culminate in January with a large-scale Field Training Exercise in Sennelager, Germany, followed by the Battlegroup’s deployment to Estonia in March.
February will see A Battery (The Chestnut Troop) deploy to continental Europe on Exercise ALLIED SPIRIT. Their three- week deployment will exercise the Battery in an oversees multinational context, fortifying the UK’s commitment to our NATO allies. B Battery meanwhile will also be deployed to Germany as they ramp-up their pre-deployment training
alongside the First Fusiliers Battlegroup as they prepare to take over from The Queen’s Royal Hussars and E Battery in Estonia during the autumn.
Looming large on the horizon not just for 1st Regiment but for the Iron Division as a whole is Exercise WARFIGHTER. Exercise WARFIGHTER is the bi-annual validation exercise of the UK’s sole warfighting division. The exercise in April will see 3rd (United Kingdom) Division fighting under a US Corps Headquarters alongside both a French and a US Division in Fort Hood, Texas and is a timely demonstration of NATO’s ability to field a corps-level force. 1 RHA will lead the Joint Fires element of the LOCON ‘pucksters,’ supporting Head- quarters as it goes through its validation.
Upon return from the easter hiatus, B Battery will complete their pre-deployment training in Germany, while the rest of the Regiment will deploy onto Salisbury Plain to conduct training to refresh crew-level skills on Ex CYPHER SHARPEN. As the summer approaches, 1st Regiment, as directed by the army’s new force structures under the Future Soldier programme will grow in size. L Battery, previously resubordinated to 3 RHA in 2018 will be returning to 1 RHA. The Tac Battery will come under command of CO 1 RHA no later than the end of July, with the officers and soldiers of L Battery due to move to our home in Larkhill during the summer months thereafter. Work has begun in earnest to manage the transition as we bring L Battery back into the fold.
Building on the foundations laid on Ex CYPHER SHARPEN, our newly formed higher formation 1st Deep Reconnaissance Strike Brigade Combat Team and its subordinate units, will undertake the bi-annual validation of the Warfighting Divi- sion’s Offensive Support Group. The exercise on Salisbury plain in September will be the first live field exercise for the Brigade Combat Team, providing an opportunity to better understand how the new formation fights and wins on the battlefields of the 21st Century.
As evidenced above, 1st Regiment has a busy year ahead, and the officers and soldiers of the Regiment are well set to face the forthcoming challenges. 2023 offers ample opportu- nities for the Regiment to get to grips with its core business – fighting and winning wars.
Look Forward Capt D Haycocks RHA
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